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Curry College is planning to expand dormitories by adding a building that would hold from 130 to 170 beds for students.

The design and development phase of the project is underway. School officials say the the building would be located on 1.9 acres of recently acquired land at 1016 Brush Hill Road.

“There is currently a residential building on the property. The college doesn’t have any plans to demolish that building … our intention is to build it adjacent to the existing structure on the interior side closest to our student center,” said Frances Jackson, a spokeswoman for the school.

The current 15-room building on the site is described as a Colonial in assessor records, and was built in 1900s. The building and land is assessed at $1.4 million.

The school considered three locations for the building before deciding on 1016 Brush Hill, Jackson said. School officials hope to begin construction in March 2014 and be completed by September 2014.

According to Jackson, the increase in beds is a trend that has been occurring at the 135-acre college for some time, and most recently has been prompted by a growth in the student body wishing to live on campus.

“The decision to build the new residence is driven by increased enrollment and the need to provide more on-campus housing to an increased number of students,” she said.

The college’s website says Curry has about 2,000 full-time undergraduates, and more than 1,650 continuing education and 450 graduate students. Nearly 70 percent of undergraduates live on campus.

Four new residence halls were built in 1999.

Since 2000, Curry has also seen the construction of a new Academic and Performance Center; expansion of the Levin Library; the Hirst Communication Center in the Hafer Academic Building; expansion of the King Academic and Administrative Building; and a new $38 million, 84,000 square foot Student Center.

Because the size and design of the newest dormitory are still being determined, Jackson said the school did not have a cost estimate for their newest endeavor.

Regardless, funding would come from a combination of bank finance and college funds, Jackson said.